The Heart Of Texas

by RJ Scott

  Outside, the dry storm that had been threatening all day, broke with startling brilliance. A shaft of lightning tore the air in two outside the SUV, illuminating hazel eyes and showing a flash of desire previously hidden in their depths. The lightning startled both men, and Riley moved subtly so that Jack's lips touched skin.

  He could feel Riley's whole body shudder and hear the neediness in the small unconscious noise that originated in Riley's throat, and Jack couldn't help himself. Slowly, he traced small open-mouthed kisses on Riley's face, across the cheekbones, feathering across eyelids that closed against the touch, and down to soft lips that parted on a sigh. Jack slanted his mouth, the touch of tongues sliding, teeth nipping and tugging at full lips, his dick hard and ready for round two. He wanted so much of this man, and it didn't seem to matter to his sexual self that part of it still felt wrong. Gently he eased back, needing to say something.

  The lightning flashed around the car and lit up the uncertainty in Riley's eyes. Jack sighed, resting his forehead against Riley's. This was a man who had blackmailed him, made him believe he had no option but to marry him, for reasons that, to Jack, made no sense. How was it that the feelings inside him were all about lust and need when they should have been about hate and revenge?

  "We need to talk," Jack said. "We can work this out. You're not gay. We'll get a second bed and look after the apartment ourselves. We can chalk this up to a bad night. I can keep my hands off you. This was you and alcohol, nothing more."

  "I didn't drink anything," Riley replied quietly. Was that disappointment in those gentle words? It certainly sounded like it.

  "But I did, and I clearly took advantage of you." Jack started to move back, but Riley grabbed at his arm to stop him.

  * * * *

  Riley looked down at himself, at two hundred twenty pound of muscle and more than average height and then over to Jack, who despite being solid as a rock and only five inches shorter, was probably an even physical match to Riley.

  "I'm not some fainting virgin, not some tiny girl that you have forced yourself on. Believe me, cowboy, if I hadn't wanted it, then you wouldn't have gotten it." Riley finished the sentence with steel determination in his voice.

  "Riley," Jack sighed again, "I haven't felt enough lust to touch and take like that since I was a horny sixteen-year-old and tryin' to get into Mike Hollister's pants."

  "And your point is?" Riley was trying to stay calm even as he released Jack's arm and let the man slide back down into his seat.

  "Like I said, we need to talk."

  "Let's go home then— to talk." Riley added the last bit on the end, thinking friends with benefits in his head, his dick hard in the twisted material of his pants and his breathing shallow. Pulling the material together, he fastened the fly and turned back to the wheel, sliding on his belt and starting the engine. He looked back over his shoulder at the road behind them, ready to pull out.

  "Riley, the storm," Jack said suddenly. "I really need to check on the horses. Can we maybe talk at the D?"

  Riley's heart twisted at that, the suddenness with which he thought that was a good idea overwhelming him. Just to stand in the scarred kitchen, watching Donna bake, watching Beth tease her brother was like some kind of 1950's sitcom, surreal and warm.

  "Yeah," Riley agreed, and U-turned away from the Hayes mausoleum and towards the D. It felt good to just be driving, his skin prickling from the electricity in the air, his head full to bursting with what had just happened. That he'd let Jack do that —take him to the edge and over it— surprised him. The loss of control was bewildering and new.

  Jack was clearly as lost in thought as he was, and neither said a word. Anticipation thrummed in Riley's veins as they neared the D, and he was so deep in thought considering what had happened, that he only just managed to swerve to avoid a dark SUV barreling down the center of the road. He cursed viciously, slandering the parentage of the out-of-towners, and caught sight of the smile that curved Jack's mouth.

  * * * *

  They turned onto the D, the same pride washing over Jack as they passed under the curved D's and began the mile trek to the main house, the plush SUV cushioning them from most of the potholes. Jack stretched each muscle, thinking on the horses in the barns and how they might be reacting to the electrical disturbance of the intense storm. Solo-Cal was only a week away from foaling, just one run of seven days, and he knew his baby was restless in storms. He hoped Riley would understand if he suggested he had to sleep in there with them tonight.

  The flicker on the horizon as the dark buildings loomed in front of them was nothing more than a reflection of lightning. Jack was sure of it, until it grew stronger, orange, steadier against the dark sky, and suddenly dread stabbed him like a knife.

  Before Riley had even stopped the car, Jack was out, screaming against the wind and the heat, "Call 911 and get Mom and Beth out of the house!"

  The main horse barn was on fire.

  The blaze was a living, breathing thing, climbing wood, destroying feed, and devouring everything in its path. Jack didn't hesitate. Even though it would fuel the flames, he threw the big doors wide and raced from stall to stall, releasing the horses so they could stampede to safety. The fire had started two-thirds of the way inside the barn and was already spreading up into the hayloft. It was also blocking his way to the last two horses. His precious brood-mares. Jack dove through the conflagration. Solo-Cal and Taylor-Wood were rearing in their stalls, fear in their whinnies, fire reflecting in their wide staring eyes.

  He needed to get his babies out. Dodging debris that hissed and spat, he pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around Taylor's head, blindfolding her. The mare's panic eased a little, enough for him to loop a rope over her neck and lead her out of the stall. Then Riley was skidding to a halt next to him, gauging the situation and pulling off his own shirt, covering Solo's eyes as best he could.

  The only way out was through the main doors no more than forty feet away, but that meant through the barrier of flames and smoke. Crooning to the shaking mare, Jack coaxed her into a trot and ran with her, holding his breath as they passed through the blaze. He could hear Riley and Solo behind him, the mare squealing as wisps of burning straw landed on her. They were almost there. So very close. Part of the upper floor cracked and split and tumbled behind them, and they were out.

  With a final effort, Jack managed to guide Taylor well away from the fire and to the far fence, turning back to see Riley leading Solo out after them. He shared a grin of success with his husband, who raised a hand in salute. The shirt slipped from Solo's eyes, and the horse bucked in fear, twisting in terror of the flames. Unable to shout over the noise of the fire and the storm, Jack knew he would never reach Riley in time. All he could do was watch as Solo spun on her heels, forcing Riley to leap back. Beth was there as well, reaching up to snag a rope about the mare's neck. Solo lashed out, her hooves narrowly missing Beth.

  Riley pushed between the horse and the girl, thrusting Beth aside as Solo's hooves plunged towards them again. Beth fell and rolled to safety under the bottom rail, but Riley was crushed brutally against the white fence before Solo lunged away to join the other horses milling in the drive.

  Distantly aware that Beth and his mom were herding the horses into the paddock farthest from the blaze, Jack dashed to Riley's side. He was unconscious, blood frothing at his mouth. A lung was surely pierced.

  Thunder exploded over their heads, and the rain fell in a blinding sheet. It was chaos, the fire department arriving as the last flames were flickering and dying in the rain, the paramedics lifting Riley into the ambulance, and the lights flashing randomly in the inky blackness of the night.

  The fire department waited, damping down what was left of the barn. The lightning damage had been so instant, so complete, so devastating, that there was only a twisting shell of black wood standing as testament to the stables Jack's grandfather had built. They muttered that the storm had been a blessing as well as a curse. It may have started
the fire, but even as the flames had reached destructive arms for the main house, the rain had extinguished them.

  Chapter 22

  The hospital was quiet. The Emergency Department was temporarily empty apart from a few traffic accident casualties and Riley.

  Beth stood in the hospital lounge, a protective hand across her belly, her daughter a gentle movement under her palm, and gave thanks. The rain may have saved the house, but Riley had saved her and her child. And he'd saved Jack as well, because she knew he would have tried to rescue both horses and would still have been in the barn when the roof fell if Riley hadn't gone in to help him.

  Riley's cell was still in her other hand. She'd scrolled down the numbers to find the one she needed and held her breath until it was answered, only letting out a sigh of relief when the cheerful voice identified itself as Eden Hayes.

  "Eden, it's Beth Campbell, Jack's sister. It's your brother. There's been an accident."

  * * * *

  Eden sat in disbelief at her brother's side, the pain in her heart overwhelmed only by the pain in her head.

  Your brother has internal bleeding

  He needs blood.

  His blood type is A negative— accident on the highway— used our reserves— we have some flying in— need to operate soon— can you donate?

  * * * *

  Sandra Hayes had only done what every rich trophy wife did in defense of their social position. She wasn't going to lose her status or her money, and the promise she'd made twenty-seven years ago when she held her new baby in her arms would not be broken now.

  She listened as Eden explained. "So we need blood, Mom. You need to come to the hospital, and you need to get tested for a match." She didn't know what to say; she simply passed the phone to Gerald, who was looming over her with a questioning expression.

  * * * *

  "Eden?" he asked.

  "It's Riley, Daddy. He's in the hospital, and he's been badly hurt. He needs blood. Daddy, please help."

  Gerald looked at his wife, at the stretched skin on her face, at the diamonds in her ears, and the vacant expression in her eyes. Hate built inside him. They had promised and made a deal: her silence in exchange for his support of the bastard son, the result of many one-night stands and affairs from his untrained wife.

  Now he had her leashed and she'd been so since the day he'd agreed to pass Riley off as his son. He wasn't about to run to save Riley. Actually it solved quite a few problems for him if Riley were to die. It was certainly a solution to dividing out the business, the problem that had been plaguing him for some time. It was such a shame that the brains of Hayes Oil, the one son of his that had the instinct for oil, wasn't even his own damn blood. Fury and frustration flooded him as he listened to Eden begging for him to come save her beloved brother, talking about rare blood types and antigens. There had to be a way he could turn this to his advantage.

  How could he delay going? What excuse could he use? He knew damn well he wouldn't be a match for Riley even if he did go. He wanted to say, "Well, good luck finding a match, Eden. I hope your mom is a match, because he sure as hell doesn't share my blood." But he didn't. He said nothing; he simply handed the phone back to Sandra, who assured Eden they would try and get there as soon as possible if they could, maybe…

  Sandra looked at her husband, the only sign of her anxiety a faint trembling in her right hand, and he stared right back.

  "They'll find out," she said, her voice low and tremulous.

  "Not if he dies, they won't," Gerald said, dryly, turning back to his book and sipping his expensive whisky. "Let's face it, you should have terminated him when you found out you were pregnant but didn't know which one of your many men could have been the father."

  "Gerald—"

  "Enough, Sandra, enough."

  * * * *

  She slipped, like the ghost she was, up to their rooms. Her heart, what was left of it, was in pieces. Her son. The one good thing that had come out of her plan to escape so many years before, and now he was dying. She wished she was able to show her love for Riley. But she'd acted the part of Dallas high society wife for so long, it had become very close to reality. She had never been a real mother to her boy. So many times when she heard the hate in her own voice, looked at him as he grew tall and strong, she regretted the act she needed to keep up. She regretted it and sought some kind of atonement, throwing herself into charity works that helped the abandoned children, the homeless single mothers. She regretted it until the best champagne numbed her senses, until her money gave her prestige, until the Hayes name gave her safety. Then there was no regret.

  But there was one thing she could do to give her son a fighting chance. If he needed the rare blood, then Riley's father needed to know. Contrary to what Gerald believed, there had only been one man that fall of 1981, one man who had loved her, a young intern in Hayes Oil who had worshipped the very ground she walked on and shown her what love should be.

  She dialed the number she knew by heart, and he answered on the third ring.

  "It's me. Can you come to the hospital? There's been an accident and —Riley— he needs you."

  * * * *

  It had been nearly five hours since the fire when Jack half-ran into the emergency room, sliding to a halt next to Eden. She was hunched uncomfortably on the hard plastic chairs in the lounge, Beth perched beside her.

  "I had ta get the horses safe. Fuck, I'm sorry. Is he okay? What's happening, Eden?"

  Eden lifted tear-filled eyes to his, seeing cuts and abrasions on her new brother-in-law's face and blood on his shirt. She could hardly string the words together, fear twisting inside her. "I don't know. He's in the operating room. They… needed blood… his blood type." She shook her head, confused, exhausted, in shock, assuming her mom and dad were somewhere in the hospital, because Riley had received the blood he needed. "We won't know for a while."

  Jack pulled her in for a quick hug, his clothes reeking of smoke and horses. Then he strode to the desk, asking questions, demanding answers. Beth moved closer to Eden, and Eden felt a hand curling around her shoulders. Eden could only cry for what had happened to the brother she adored.

  Jack went back to stand with them. "They don't know more than you do. Do you know much blood he lost?"

  "I don't know. He has internal bleeding. Mom and Dad donated." Jack nodded. Eden knew it was at times like this that a real family pulled together. It was good to see that, despite their obvious problems, at the end of the day the Hayeses knew that family was family. A sob left Eden, and she hunched forward in her seat, murmuring just one word, Riley.

  "I know he saved my life," Beth said softly. Eden leaned into the embrace.

  "Can you tell me what happened?" Eden asked.

  So Beth started to explain how Riley had pushed her away, taking the brunt of the bucking horse.

  * * * *

  "No one will know it wasn't the storm," Jeff said simply.

  "So we can guarantee the end of the whole horse business for the Campbells then? Do you really think this will be enough?" Gerald was curious as to how this plan of Jeff's was going to work.

  "It's simple; the barn will be gone, along with Jack's dreams and his two brood mares. Given that I'm assuming the pre-nup gives him no money inside of the marriage or after divorce, he'll crumble. We'll slip in, work that vulnerability, and offer him money to help."

  "Then he'll agree to our terms," Gerald said. "We can arrange an annulment, and it's the end of the problem."

  Jeff nodded eagerly. "Riley doesn't fulfill the terms of the contract you drew up, as divorce or annulment cancels the contract. I get to keep my controlling percentage, and my younger brother learns his place."

  "Yes, that he does."

  * * * *

  "Can I ask how my son is doing?" he asked gruffly, his voice still thick with unshed tears and a grief cutting deep into his heart.

  "He is still in surgery, sir. Would you like to go up with the rest of the family? I can take you."<
br />
  He stood silently for a while, looking down at the papers he had signed, and then back at the understanding face of the blood bank nurse. He coughed. He couldn't handle sympathy or understanding at the moment, knowing it might push him over the edge.

  "No. It wouldn't be…" He searched for the right word. "Appropriate," he finally offered. "I'll wait here for news." He had known. In his heart, he had known all this time that Riley was his. It was the only reason why he stayed at Hayes Oil, so he could watch his son grow into the man he was so proud of. Jim Bailey had known.

  Chapter 23

  Eden didn't know what to say to Steve, even as she looked for his number with shaking fingers. She knew for some reason Steve and Riley had argued, but over what she didn't know. Hell, he needed to know his best friend was hurt, and jeez, Beth looked dead on her feet. She needed her friend here, even if he didn't want to see Riley.

  "You can go if you want," Eden had said to the slim woman who stood at her side. "I'll be okay."

  "You're family. I stay," Beth had replied simply, warmth in her eyes.

  It made Eden blink back tears, to hear those simple words. So much time had passed since the family she knew had done anything except fight and scheme and destroy. Even Riley had lost it along the way. She wasn't stupid. She could see him changing every day that Hayes Oil had him in their clutches; he'd been becoming harder and more determined to win at all costs. To have Beth next to her, showing her own brand of unconditional support, it was so easy to drift into a place where people actually appeared to give a damn about her and Riley.